Senior Counsel, Licensing & Commercial Contracts
Emeryville, CA
United States – Legal /
Regular Full Time /
Remote
This position can be 100% remote.
Dynavax is a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company developing and commercializing novel vaccines to help protect the world against infectious diseases. We operate with the highest level of quality, integrity and safety for the betterment of public health. Our proprietary CpG 1018 adjuvant powers our diversified infectious vaccine portfolio, which includes HEPLISAV-B®, our commercial product approved in the U.S. and the European Union, for prevention of hepatitis B virus in adults. We also supply CpG 1018 to research collaborations and partnerships globally. Currently, CpG 1018 is being used in development of COVID-19, plague, shingles, and Tdap vaccines.
At Dynavax, our vision and work ethic are guided by the collective ideals underpinning our core values, and these form the basis of our dynamic company culture. We strive to maintain a culture where each employee is valued by the organization and where our organization is valued by each employee. We offer a highly flexible work environment for our headquarter employees where individuals work remotely and gather for in-person meetings when necessary. Dynavax is headquartered in the San Francisco Bay area, and our manufacturing facility is in Düsseldorf, Germany.
Dynavax is seeking a highly motivated Senior Counsel with licensing and commercial agreements experience in the biotechnology industry to join its legal team. The Senior Counsel will play a key role enabling Dynavax’s strategic business and licensing transactions supporting the company’s business goals. This role will be highly visible and will directly contribute to Dynavax’s success. The successful candidate is capable of building strong relationships across the company, including with the research and development, business development, technical operations, project management, and clinical teams as well as serving as a trusted business adviser. The position will report to the Vice President, Intellectual Property and Associate General Counsel.
Responsibilities
- Draft, review, negotiate, and manage the execution of a broad array of complex commercial, procurement, and other contracts, including agreements with suppliers and other vendors (including MTAs, MSAs, SOWs and other agreements), licensing agreements, services agreements, confidentiality agreements, consulting agreements, supply agreements, clinical and other study agreements, SAAS agreements and other contracts.
- Partner with the business development team, advising on strategic business transactions, including collaboration agreements and strategic alliances to advance the company’s goals.
- Partner with the business development and project management teams on the integration, terms, and performance of existing partnerships and strategic alliances.
- Collaborate with the intellectual property team on IP-related matters.
- Advise management and internal clients on the company’s rights and obligations under existing contracts, including agreements with existing strategic partners.
- Support other members of the legal department on business development and other strategic transactions, including performing and facilitating transaction due diligence.
- Identify the need for, engage, and incorporate the advice of, financial, technical, and other subject matter experts when working on a contract or transaction.
- Manage cross-functional transaction teams to drive contracts and transactions to conclusion.
- Assist in the development, implementation and enforcement of policies and procedures regarding contracts and related matters, including development of a contracting playbook.
- Analyze and report on contract terms and transaction issues and counsel management and internal clients regarding transactions and negotiated terms, including requirements, obligations and risks.
- Assist in the development and maintenance of standard contract forms and templates.
- Participate in, and/or present to, various internal company committees and work teams, as assigned.
- Supervise and manage outside counsel.
- Manage and execute other matters within the Legal Department, as assigned.
Qualifications
- At least 7 years of licensing and commercial agreements experience in a public biotech, pharma or law firm. A combination of both law firm and in-house public company experience is a plus.
- JD from an accredited law school and active membership in at least one state bar.
- Strong legal background and licensing experience in the field of biotechnology or biopharma R&D.
- Experience in a vaccine company a plus.
- Ability to work collaboratively across the company, successfully build relationships, and efficiently manage outside counsel.
- Ability to think creatively, evaluate and manage risk, devise business-focused solutions to challenging problems, and drive issues to closure to meet the company’s goals.
- Demonstrated success managing complex corporate transactions and multiple competing matters.
- Excellent interpersonal, decision-making and communications skills.
- Ability to sit; stand; walk; reach with arms and hands; lift and move small objects; and use hands to keyboard and perform other office related tasks including repetitive movement of the wrists, hands and/or fingers.
- Occasional travel required, as needed.
Pay Range
- The estimated salary range for this position is $260,000 to $288,000. Final pay determinations may depend on various factors, including, but not limited to experience level, education, geographical location, knowledge, skills, and abilities. The total compensation package for this position also includes other compensation elements such as stock equity awards and participation in our Company’s discretionary annual bonus program. Dynavax also offers a full range of health and insurance benefits, 401(k) company match, and paid time off benefits, including 17 paid holidays in 2024.
#LI-REMOTE
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Dynavax is an equal opportunity employer & prohibits unlawful discrimination based on race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, national origin/ancestry, age, disability, marital & veteran status.
